Process of and apparatus for macerating sugar-containing materials



' 1,617 962 Feb. 15, 1927. N NOBEL PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR MACEHATING SUGAR CONTAINING MATERIALS Filed Aug. 18. 1926 .171 yen for Mbalaas Mel Patented Feb. 15, 1927. I

UNITED STATES 1,617,962 PATENT OFFICE.

NICOLAAS NOBEL, P IASOEROEAN, JAVA.

PROCE SS OF AND APPARATUS FOR MACERATING SUGAR-CONTAINING MATERIALS.

Application filed August 18, 1926, Serial No. 129,924, and in-the Netherlands East Indies September 26,

It is already known to macerate sugar containing materials such as the bagasse when passing from one mill to the next or the beetroot-shreds when passing from the scrapper (cutting machine) to the .pulper. Thereby the bagasse is conveyed by means of a rake-carrier through a receptacle containingl the usually heated macerating liquid. so it is known to apply an inclmed' receptacle with its highest part at the outletside of the carrier, so that a liquid current opposite to the travel-direction of the bagasse may be applied.

A Beetroot-shreds are treated in a similar way by means of a diffuser-battery (set of macerating devices) the macerating liquid consecutively being used in the difier'ent diffusers starting with the last (nearest to" the ulper). Between each two adjacent difusers the li uid is heated which heating is progressive through the whole battery.

The disadvantages of these known methods are that theyrequire a great space for the apparatus, especially in length for bagasse, a eat quantity of the macerating 1i uid an a considerable amount of time.

t is my object to eliminate the said disadvantages and therefore the process according to the presentinvention comprises maintaining an abimdant. liquid flow pass-' ing from above to below through a thick mass of the sugar containing material, this mass being moved horizontally and the liquid dripped through, at least the greater part of it, being used againand again for passin through the material.

Wit bagasse, the same is vconveyed .e. j by meansv of aplank-carrier in a thic b anket (about 75100 0. in. thick instead of the usual 20 c. m.) from .one mill to the next next with a velocityof -1 m. p. minute. Itwill be clear, that by doing so a short distance between the mills is sulficient forthe applying of thisprocess, a suflicient macerating being assured by the abundance of the liquid flow and that also a relatively small quantity of liquidis suiticient, due to the fact that same is repeatedly r used. Especially the first named a vantage of my process is of great interest, as in some places e. g. in most factories in Java, the

istance between the adjacent 'mills is too short for appl 'ngs he'known process.

With beet-s re ,the same are conveyed e. g. by means of receptacles with perforated bottoms. With such receptacles the conveying may be a step by'step motion, the same macerating liquid being repeatedly poured upon the shreds through separate conduits.

My process allows a particular applying the conveying path (the last receptacle being filled up by fresh liquid) and decreased by conveying a part of it to the adjacent receptacle at the other side (the contents of the first receptacle being decreased for macerating at a pgevious interval between the mills or for ing added to the juice for further treatment or treated separately for su ar-extracting pur s'es).

ue to the travelling of the material the liquid contained therein isalso conveyed to above the next receptacle. Therefore the counter current action according to a further feature of my invention may be improved by applying means for expressing the material preferably a little distance before the places situated above the walls separating the receptacles.

In the accompanying drawing an apparatus according to the present invention is shown by way of an example.

The endless belt 1 of a plank carrier is supported by rollers 2, 3, 4 and'5. Under this carrier three hoppers 6, 7 and 8 are provided above receptacles 9, 10 and 11. Through conduits 12, 13 and 14 the maceratin liquid is pumped from these receptac es to points a ove the mass of the sugar containing material, conveyed by the car-' rier and allowed to drip down upon such material. The receptacles are connected to each other by open overflow conduits 15 and 16 respectively and the receptacle 11 is provided with an open overflow 17. For expressing the material an endle belt 18 with its rollers and a drum 19 are provided some distance before the points right above the separation lines between the ho pers.

efore entering next mill, the material is expressed between'rollers 20 and 21, the

expressed liquid being conveyed through a" conduit 22 to the receptacle 9, in which prefinto the conduits 12, 13 and 14.

The working of the apparatus is quite evident from the above.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A process of macerating sugar containing materials which consists in conveying the material in a mass through a course, pouring macerating liquid upon the mass at a number of stages in the course and allow;

ing the liquid to drip therethrougli, gathering the drip li uid from said pouring stages, commingling t e liquid gathered from the said pouring stages, and returning more or less of the commingled liquid to the said pouring stages and repouring the same upon the mass.

2. The process of macerating sugar containing materials which consists in conveying the material in a mass through a course, pouring macerating liquid at a plurality of stages upon the mass and allowing it to drip therethrough, gathering the said drip liquid at a plurality of stages, including a stage adjacent to the exit side of the mass, adding fresh liquid to the gathered drip liquid at said stage, causing the liquid to flow successively from one gathering stage to the other throughout the gathering stages, whereby the liquid is commingled, and conducting the commingled liquid from the gathered stages backto the pouring stages and repouring the same upon the mass.

3. A process of macerating sugar containing materials as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that at stages between .as to allow liquid to drip the said material, and means underneath the said conveying means for'gathering the liquid drip ed through in such a manner that at least t e greater part of it is poured again upon the said material.

5. Apparatus for macerating sugar containing materials comprising means for conveying the material in a thick mass and so therethrough, means for pouring maceratmg liquid upon the mass, and means located underneath the said conveying means for gathering the liquid drippingfrom the mass and returning more or less of it to be poured again upon the material, said means including a series of receptacles arranged in a row in the direction of travel of the material, each receptacle having a device leading therefrom for discharging liquid upon the material, said receptacles being connected for the flow of material from one to the other throughout the row. v

6. Apparatus for macerating sugar containing materials comprising means for conveying the material in a thick mass and so as to allow liquid to drip throu h the mass, a series of receptacles arrange below the conveying means in spaced relation to each other for gathering liquid dripping from the mass, said receptacles being connected with each other for the flow of liquid from one to the other, devices leading from said receptacles for conveying liquid above the mass and pouring it thereupon, and means for expressing the. mass of material at points along its length of travel.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

NICOLAAS NOBEL. 

